Ratatouîa, also known as ratatouille, is a traditional French vegetable stew of tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers.

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized eggplant, peeled and diced
2 zucchinis, green and yellow, diced
2 bell peppers, red and yellow, seeded and chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme or herbes de Provence
fresh basil leaves
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Sauté onions, garlic, eggplant and zucchini.
2. Add 3/4 cup of water. Simmer. Stir in peppers and let it boil for five minutes. Stir in tomatoes and thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook in low fire for about 20 minutes. Turn off fire when vegetables are tender and add basil.

Related post/s:
Another dish using herbes de Provence

I love serving this salad because it’s so different from just a lazy bowl of mixed greens.

Ingredients:
3 fresh portobello mushrooms, brushed off dirt using paper towel
1 leek, roughly chopped and thoroughly washed minus the hard green leaves
a handful of baby spinach, roughly chopped
goat cheese
balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven at 450º. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil onto the pleat side of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake them for about 17 minutes, pleats up.
2. Top with chopped leeks and spinach. Bake for about 10 more minutes until leeks are soft. Top with goat cheese during the last 3 minutes.

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Goat cheese and beets